In a terse announcement released through an OWN spokeswoman late Friday, the network said it "will air an exclusive interview with Oprah and Lindsay Lohan that will tape and air in August and an eight-part documentary series with Lindsay for 2014."

There have been no shortage of offers although Lohan -- in between legal troubles and the occasional TV series appearance -- has long maintained that she wants to restart her big-screen career. By Hollywood standards, a reality series would be considered an unorthodox, if not prohibitive, path to that goal.

This is a significant score for a network that struggled at launch but over the past few months has seen significant growth -- 32 percent in the second quarter over the first quarter -- thanks in part to two new Tyler Perry-scripted series. OWN has tended to score with Winfrey's interviews: January's Lance Armstrong confessional was seen by more than 4 million viewers on its first night. Other newsmaker interviews, including one with the family of Whitney Houston, have also done well.